Paint roller

ABSTRACT

A unitary tray-handle paint roller for painting the bottom of doors without removing them from their hinges.

UnIted States Patent 1191 1111 3,824,024 Mason July 16, 1974 PAINT ROLLER 2,257,316 9/1941 Votaw et a1. 401/193 l [76] Inventor: John F. Mason, Phoenix, Arlz. 3115659 12/1963 Church 5/230 H [22] Filed= 1972 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS [21] Appl. No.: 306,533 814,197 3/1937 France 34/95.3

Related U.S. Application Data [63] lC;;11ti,n;I;;inodn(;;r;-;art of Ser. No. 158,705, July 1, Primary Examiner Danie| Blum [52] U.S. Cl. 401/193, 401/208 [51] Int. Cl B44d 3/28 58 Field of Search 15/27, 248 A; 101/328, [571 ABSTRACT 193, 208, 218-220 A unitary tray-handle paint roller for painting the bottom of doors without removing them from their [56] References Cited hinges.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,254,532 1/1918 Paul 15/27 1 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures PAINT ROLLER This application is a continuation-in-part of copending US. Pat. application, Ser. No. 158,705 filed July 1, 1971 now abandoned.

The invention relates to an apparatus for sealing or painting the bottom edge of doors, both interior and exterior to prevent absorption of moisture and consequent warping and decay. Sealing is also important to keep out insects. Federal Housing Administration Regulations require the painting of the bottom edge of all wooden doors. This can be expensive when such painting entails the unhinging of the door. The present invention offers an efficient and inexpensive alternative. The General Services Administration has tested the herein disclosed invention and found this mode of paint application to be within acceptable standards for the paint sealing effect required under the FHA regulations. However, sealing is nearly impossible to accomplish with conventional painting equipment without removal of the door. As the omission is not visible it is not infrequently overlooked.

This invention is an inexpensive and easily operated roller to rapidly accomplish this specific and small but important painting task. The present invention comprising a paint tray and handle of one piece allows economical manufacture of the item in ready-to-use form. The assemblage of separate components is timeconsuming and costly. Thus the present invention, by minimizing the necessity of component assemblage allows low cost manufacture and retail sale of the invention, making the item available at low cost to the consuming public.

The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the invention demonstrating the utilization of the hole and groove securing means for the cooperating ends of the paint roller axles;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view along line 33 of FIG. 1 of the paint roller assembly while engaged with the bottom edge of a door;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-section view along line 44 of FIG. 3 of the paint roller assembly engaged with the bottom edge of a door.

The roller comprises a one piece tray and handle having side walls l3, 14 of a length greater than the thickness of the door, i.e., about two inches and a height enabling the tray to fit under the door, i.e., about one quarter inch. End walls 11 and 12 are of any convenient length and may be taller than the end walls.

A pair of rollers 15 and 16 of about three-eighth inch diameter of paint impervious porous rubber or comparable impervious material are mounted on metal axles 17 and 18. These axles fit in grooves 19 and 20 of end wall 11. The other and cooperating end axles of the rollers fit into holes 21 and 22 on end wall 12. The use of a groove on one end wall and a hole on the other allows ease of installation or removal forcleaning while minimizing the disassemblage of roller and unit body assembly in operation.

In operation, the roller has a few ounces of paint put in it to partially cover the rollers and is then slid under the door and traversed the length of the'door. Since doors do have varying distances from the bottom to the flooring or carpet underneath the operator will have to maintain some upward pressure during the rolling. After use the rollers may be detached for cleaning and re-use.

The device is equally useful for painting the underside of railings or other inaccessible areas.

I claim:

1. A paint roller for coating the underside of doors while in place comprising:

a. a unitary sheet metal tray and handle b. said tray having a rectangular base portion forming the bottom of the paint containing enclosure c. said tray having a front wall extending perpendicularly from one side of the base and forming one terminal wall of the paint containing enclosure d. said tray having side walls extending perpendicularly from the sides of the base which adjoin the front wall and said side walls adjoining said front portion e. said tray having a rear wall extending perpendicularly from the remaining side of the base and adjoining said side walls f. said sidewall of a height less than the distance from the door bottom edge surface to the floor surface underneath the bottom of the rectangular base portron g. said front and rear walls laterally spaced apart a distance greater than the width of the door h. said front and rear walls of a height greater than the distance from said door to said surface underneath i. a handle portion extending from the upper edge of the rear wall in a generally horizontal plane j. a plurality of paint rollers each having a metallic rod of a length greater than the lateral distance between the front and rear walls, said rods forming the axle of the roller k. each roller having a paint containing surface of material impervious to paint mounted on said rods, said roller of a length less than said rod 1. a plurality of apertures in one of the pair of front and rear walls m. a plurality of grooves in the other of the pair of front and rear walls, and

n. said apertures and grooves aligned to allow cooperative insertion of said rollers, rods to allow free rotation of said rods in a plane parallel to said side walls, whereby, said tray may be partially filled with paint placed beneath the door, said rear wall abutting said door, said rollers contacting both said door and said paint and the tray being laterally moveable along the distance of the bottom of the door to rapidly coat said surface.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFIQATE @451? Q ECEWN Patent No. 3,824,024 Dated 7s1 l7 lnventor(s) John Mason It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

the Z-Lhstraet:

At end of paragraph, add A plurality of poroee ru' paint ii; the tray and the deer moved therealeng.-=-

in the Specificatien:

Column 1, line 4, after 1971 i:.zsert a comma.

line 25 delete "price" and add --piec'e--- line 55; delete 7" J2 and. add onto which are mgugi efii a pair of. washers 2.2 for ewh axle exterior of the roll 3 line 55, delete "grooves" and add -=-slots line 58, delete "slot", and add -slot- Col, 2, line 1, after operation, insert --'I'he upper peripheral surface of the rollers 15 and 16 extend above the edge of the side walls but below the edge at the front and rear wefrlsw line "7 following rolling; insert =--The washers 25 serve as a seal, particularly those washers adjoining slots 19 and 20 The rear wall 12 abuts the door during painting serving as a guide during the lateral movement of the paint rollere in the Claims:

Cola 2; line 43, delete axle and "roller", and add axles and --=rollers line 44, delete containing", add -carrying line 45 delete "material" line 45, delete "to paint", add poreus ruhi taer line 46, after rods add and having a peripheral surface extending above the edges of the side walls F ORM PO-IOSO (10-69) USCOMM'DC 5Q3'76-F'59 .5. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE I969 0-366-3342,

I v Page 2 fiNITED STATES, PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE 0F CORRECTION Patent NO ""3-: 824 'h Dated Inventor) John F. Mason It is certified that error appears in the .1Bove-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shpwn below:

but below the edges of tfie front and rear walla-w Following ine 46, add

-1) each roller having a pair of was-hers exterior of the" paffit carrying surfaces';'.-" line 47, delete "l", replace with --'m-- line 49, delete "m", replace with --n--- line 49, delete "grooves", and add -slots-- line 51, delete "n", replace with --o- 1 delete "grooves", add -slots-- line 52, after rods, add and washers-- line 57, after paint, add -said washers serving as seals,-

Signed and sealed this 26th day of November 1974.

(SEAL) Attest':

McCOY M. GIBSON JR. c. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer Conunissioner of Patents FORM PC4050 (i0 69) USCOMM'DC 6O376-PG9 U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: [9'9 0-365-384, 

1. A paint roller for coating the underside of doors while in place comprising: a. a unitary sheet metal tray and handle b. said tray having a rectangular base portion forming the bottom of the paint containing enclosure c. said tray having a front wall extending perpendicularly from one side of the base and forming one terminal wall of the paint containing enclosure d. said tray having side walls extending perpendicularly from the sides of the base which adjoin the front wall and said side walls adjoining said front portion e. said tray having a rear wall extending perpendicularly from the remaining side of the base and adjoining said side walls f. said side wall of a height less than the distance from the door bottom edge surface to the floor surface underneath the bottom of the rectangular base portion g. said front and rear walls laterally spaced apart a distance greater than the width of the door h. said front and rear walls of a height greater than the distance from said door to said surface underneath i. a handle portion extending from the upper edge of the rear wall in a generally horizontal plane j. a plurality of paint rollers each having a metallic rod of a length greater than the lateral distance between the front and rear walls, said rods forming the axle of the roller k. each roller having a paint containing surface of material impervious to paint mounted on said rods, said roller of a length less than said rod l. a plurality of apertures in one of the pair of front and rear walls m. a plurality of grooves in the other of the pair of front and rear walls, and n. said apertures and grooves aligned to allow cooperative insertion of said rollers, rods to allow free rotation of said rods in a plane parallel to said side walls, whereby, said tray may be partially filled with paint placed beneath the door, said rear wall abutting said door, said rollers contacting both said door and said paint and the tray being laterally moveable along the distance of the bottom of the door to rapidly coat said surface. 